Okay. I've really been bothered by what I consider a rather dated look of the "Angel Eyes" on my 2009 7 series. :thumbdwn:

I attempted to contact some sponsors to determine whether there was anything compatible with my 09, but no one responded to me. So off I went to find information on the 09. As it turns out, there is little difference in the design of the structure compared to the 08's, and no difference in the bulb, that I could determine.

I found some bulbs on-line from http://www.hid-lights.com for $17.95 + modest shipping. I received them in three days!!! Direct Link: http://www.hid-lights.com/cat/halogen-bulb-gp8500.htm. Please know I have NO AFFILIATION with this firm at all--ZERO--just found them. 8500 Kelvin refers to the color the bulb supposedly throws off, measured in temperature (spectrocity). Really, this is a bunch of crap as the bulbs are just tinted to give this kelvin color. They do a decent job of recreating a HID bulb's output, in my opinion. I noticed the filament is as thick as the OEM's.

This may cause a fire, it may trip codes, it may blow-up, it may electricute me, it may burn me, it may cause damage to my car forcing me to spend a lot of money. I did this because I am foolish and don't suggest you do it, but wish to share the rather cool results. This can be dangerous. :yikes:

Living with the pee yellow lights is just not an option for me. To be honest, they don't look half bad given the color of my car. I believe the results would be even more stunning with a silver car. To think this cost $17.95 is just incredible. :thumbup:

photos loading...

Cheers~

BMR2009

11-28-2009 06:12 PM

Ureal...

2 Attachment(s)

Now some interesting observations:

1. The new bulbs are appx 20% dimmer than OEM, due to the shading of the bulb no doubt (total BS they put out 65watts like manf states on box).
2. The hue difference is dramatic, and modern (wife's opinion, and I agree)
3. They actually seem to burn further into the dark than the yellows--perception possibly.
4. When bounced off my "TAN" garage door at three & seven feet, easily see the difference in color (remember, tan door making the oems look white).
5. They appear bluer on the garage than they actually are.
6. No code issues, YET.
7. Very pleased with these, and have the OEM's if I get bored or they burn-out.
8. Took me fifteen minutes total (not including photos).
9. NO alterations to photo color at all, just resizing to help for comparison.
10. Off-center, they take on a very slight blue hue, nothing dramatic, in my opinion.

asaseaban

11-29-2009 05:48 AM

Looks cool :thumbup: Much easier than replacing the bulds in the E66 (which sometimes require dropping the front bumper unless you have small hand and fingers :thumbdwn:).

bruno787

11-29-2009 06:26 AM

how come the eyelids are still yellowish???

BMR2009

11-29-2009 07:40 AM

2 Attachment(s)

Relatively speaking, I disagree.

csmeance

11-29-2009 09:08 AM

is the bulb you are using just a regular H8 bulb? If so, why not just get an HID kit or some Hoen Bulbs for it so they will be a whole lot whiter and brighter.

BMR2009

11-29-2009 09:23 AM

They are regular H8 bulbs. Buying an HID kit for parking lights is redundant to me, not to mention finding proper placement for the unit. I don't care for the bulbs to be a lot brighter as, again, they are parking lights and not headlights. They are plenty white, and bright for me.

Have you installed any in your car? Please post pics and the bulbs you used as it would be nice to have something to compare.

sunny_j

11-29-2009 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMR2009
(Post 4723092)

They are regular H8 bulbs. Buying an HID kit for parking lights is redundant to me, not to mention finding proper placement for the unit. I don't care for the bulbs to be a lot brighter as, again, they are parking lights and not headlights. They are plenty white, and bright for me.

Have you installed any in your car? Please post pics and the bulbs you used as it would be nice to have something to compare.

Very nice. You have to agree, it really makes the car more modern looking.

BMR2009

11-30-2009 06:25 AM

I was asked about the accuracy of the blue and yellow lights on the garage. Here's the rub, the garage being tan makes the OEM yellows seem white, and the lightly tinted blues seem really blue. They do NOT look that blue.

I will report back to this thread if they fail or I have any issues with them. I am planning on replacing the fogs as well.

PowerTech

11-30-2009 01:43 PM

That certainly looks a lot nicer :thumbup:
not to mention it only cost you $17.95!

BMR2009

11-30-2009 03:11 PM

Yeah, the way I see it if it looked like crap, no problem. But I'm happy so no worries.

bruno787

12-01-2009 03:36 AM

what brand was the stock h8 bulb?

BMR2009

12-01-2009 05:19 AM

Phillips H8 A.

graeboy

12-02-2009 10:36 PM

how are they working out

BMR2009

12-03-2009 05:08 AM

No problems. I've had two BMW drivers tell me it was about time BMW upgraded the lights; one a the store an another in my neighborhood. I will report back any issues if and when the occur.

bruno787

12-03-2009 06:04 AM

can you post pics on how they look in bright sunlight? im having 2nd thoughts that the whiter lights might get washed out on sunny days.

BMR2009

12-03-2009 06:26 AM

My wife was following me in my car yesterday as I wanted to see how they looked on the open road, and they look great. I'll post pics in a little while.

graeboy

12-03-2009 06:58 AM

I just ordered them

freshwhite335

12-03-2009 10:56 AM

i think im gonna do this on the moms F01. should look cool with a jet black car.

u should post up a DIY guide :D

esk

12-03-2009 04:37 PM

Nice work. I agree that yellow looks old and dated and may just switch mine out.

BMR2009

12-03-2009 04:48 PM

I'm sorry, it was cold today and I just didn't want to deal with the pic today. I promise to do it tomorrow in daylight so you can see how nice they look. they look better in the day than they do at night. Incredibly pleased with them. Oh, got another comment today from another bmw guy about the lights. I promise you this; BMW will do this soon. It looks too good for them to drag their feet. You heard it from me.

freshwhite335

12-04-2009 03:00 AM

went to my local dealer today for the 5 series Gran Turismo launch which has LED angel eyes. I tried them out and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the OEM ones and BMR2009's. The ones on the 5 might look a LITTLE bit crisper, but LED's dont photograph well, so for all we know it could have been lost in photo translation.

bruno787

12-04-2009 04:11 AM

i think piaa makes a led angel eye kit, but it costs close to $300.

btw, with daytime angel eyes on, are the taillamps lit as well?

asaseaban

12-04-2009 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruno787
(Post 4736770)

i think piaa makes a led angel eye kit, but it costs close to $300.

btw, with daytime angel eyes on, are the taillamps lit as well?

Not the tail lights. Only the angel eyes/corona rings light up for US model F01/2.